Cracker plate



July 24, 1928.

D. R. BAILEY CRACKER PLATE Filed Oct. v, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 E MN NN mMN MN July 24, 1928. 1,678,098

D. R. BAILEY CRACKER PLATE Filed Oct. '7, 19.24` 4 ShetS-Sheef 2 July24, 192s. 1,618,098

D. R. BAILEY CRACKER PLATE Filed oct. 7. 1924 4 sheets-Sheet 3 .Za n

i g um; i ff 9 wf@ s I l lili/n on July 24, 1928. 1,678,098

D. R. BAILEY l GRACKER PLATE Filed Oct. 7, 1924 .4 Sheets-Sheet 4Pater-.ina any 24", 192e.V

UNITED STATES Gnownnfs EXCHANGE, romain.

' @Animation ,inea octber 7, 1924. `senin no. 742,124.

cerned, of two types, hard shell and soft.

shell, and these two types ofvnuts ninstbe treated in aV difierentmanner during the shelling thereofto .preserve the meat in snbstantially whole condition. The presentin ventioii has for its principalobjects to conibine ina single apparatusa mechanism .or`

shelling almonds of bothfthe hard and sott type shells.

A whereb` the cracking mechanisnifmay ybe adjust-ed so as to.eiiectively crack the shells of either type of nuty and atthe same timeincur but little injuryr to the/meats thereof.

The invention consists `primarily in a nut conveying means andy'cooperating adju'sta# ble cracker plates for operating,` on'nntsoifvthe hard shell type and oi' adjustable strip-v per rolls cooperating`with one or" the cracher plates' rand the conveying vmeans tor effec-1tively ractnringtheshells of almonds of the soft shelltfype, associated`devices being incorporated with the principal instrninei`italities fordriving the same at theproper speeds and in the desired direction, for

maintaining" the parts under the! desiredr operative tension and to theapparatus. f With the above mentioned4 and"` other objects in View, theinvention consists iii the novel construction and combination .of partshereinafter described, illnstratedin thej'acconipanying drawings, andset l,torthfin:the claims hereto appended, it being vunderstood thatvarious changesinjtheform, .propor`v` tion, sizek and minordetails`oteonstriiction within the scope of the claims mayfberef sort-ed towithout departingfroin they spirit or sacriilicing` any of theadvantages of the invention. f i

To comprehend the invention reference is directed to the accoinpfanyingdrawingsillustrating` the preferredembodiment ofjlappa.- ratus i'orcarrying ont the desired objects.L

In the drawings, Fig. 1 isa view in side elevation taken 'from the righthand side of the' apparatus` as "viewed :Eroinfthe feed hopper.v i Fig,2 is a view in `side elevation taken vfor feeding`v nuts The 'presentinvention relates tof a -nntr era-ching` machine designed particularlyfor.

. oi? the topgcracler plate.

further object is to provideVnieans Fig. 8 is: L View in, detail Aoffrom tliepopp'ositeA` side of that illustrated yin Fig.k 1i. Fig. o is aenea-e, Fig. 1.

i is a kview in lower "cracker` plate. Y

Fig. is afragmientary bottom of the lower cracker plate.r

plan View,

Fig. 6 isa yplanview of theunderside of the top 'cracker plate. l l

.Fing is a view in detail' side elevation of the top cracher plateillustrating one of the cracker barsassociated withthe underqsidevalveoperating means.` i

n high isa. tragnieiitaryplanview offthe cracking vkmeanscn the conveyerbelt.'vr

i FigsllOis a seetionalgviewon line k10-10 Fig. 12 is affraginentaryviewofithe strip;

per roller yadjusting inechanisiiiLf trains.

enpportingl frame mountingr kpai-al lei spared bed; forming channels 21and. Between the channels is inonnted the lowei" cracl'ier plate?)whichis'oi a length slightlvgreater than 'that of theside members whichrest on the members 2Q v The lower cracker plate 3 at its end adjacent:the feed end of" the machine is provided ywith a yieldable section `theapparatus `t0 transversey sectional 'view' yon,

-sidejj elevation ot' the i i so Devin n.'saunier`sAcRAMnNTo,`CALIFORNIA, Assiettes To CLKI'FoizNi. ALMOND orsfiiv ria-ancient), onnironnre, n conroRATIoNoE CALI-1 5 held to theinainportion Sibystrap bars 6 detachabiyuniting the.; members 3 ,and 5together;r Q Upwardly from thebedinembersQ `ittend standards 1.0arranged inpairs opposite leach otheiand each pairy is connectedatitsupper end ybyfa transverse `yoke 11. .f Each yoke mounts a threadedshaft lfcarrying` a hand wheel lfand said shafts `at their lower'endsconnect through" suitable bearing. with .a `transverse shaitkll,` thelatter extending through bearing boxes 15y `on, the yripper sur@- faceofthe'top cracker platel. Theshafts 14 at their endsfcarry guide sleeves.1,7` operating over `members,110, the sleeves being` stripper rolls inthe desired proximity to the upper flight of the belt 22. Power appliedto move the belt in the direction of the arrow also rotates the stripperrolls in the direction of their respective arrows, the one adjacent thefeed hopper with the belt at a speed greater than the belt and the oneadjacent the discharge end of the `machine in a direction reverse to thebelt. lThe action of these stripper rolls on the nuts conveyed by theupper flight of the conveyor belt is such as to rub or roll theunshelled cracked nuts on the conveyor belt, the action being assured,due to the yielding surface of the stripper rolls rwhich enables theshelled nut to slightly imbed therein. Thus the shells of the soft shellalmonds as conveyed by the belt 9.2 are subjected to a shredding actionwhen they pass beneath the stripper roll 43 adjacent the feed hopper andare further subjected to a shredding action when they encounter thestripping roll 43 rotating in a direction reverse to the belt adjacentthe discharge end of the apparatus.

I claim:

l. A. nut cracking apparatus comprising a framework, an endless conveyormounted ink said frame having an upper horizontal flight, said conveyorhaving a plurality of cracking elements secured thereto in apredetermined manner, a cracker plate mounted in the frame andsupporting the upper horizontal flight of said conveyor, roller vframespivotally mounted on said framework,

cracker rollers rotatably Vmounted in said frames for cooperation withsaid conveyor at points overlying said cracker plate, means foradjusting said roller frames on their pivots, and driving means for therollers and conveyor.

2. A nut cracking apparatus comprising a framework, an endless conveyormounted in said framework having a substantially horizontal upperflight, nut cracking elements mounted on said belt in a predeterminedmanner, a cracker plate mounted in the frame and supporting thehorizontalflight of said conveyor, roller frames pivotally mounted onsaid framework, independently operatedmeans for adjusting eachof saidroller frames, cylindrical nut cracking mem bers rotatably mounted insaid roller frames, yieldable sleeves mounted on the peripheries of saidcylinders, said sleeves having cracking cooperation with the conveyorover said cracker plate,and driving means for the conveyor and rollers.

3. A nut cracker apparatus, comprising a framework, conveyor rollsrotatably mounted in the end portions' of the framework, an endlessconveyor mounted on said conveyor rolls having a horizontal flightbetween said rolls, a cracker plate mounted in said framework betweensaid rolls supporting the horizontalflight of saidbeonveyor, nutcracking elements mounted on said conveyor, a pair of shafts rotatablymounted in the framework in spaced relation, supporting arms mounted forrocking kmovement on said shafts, cracking rollers, rotatable in saidarms and adjustable for cracking cooperation with said conveyor oversaid cracker plate, means for rotating said shafts and driving saidconveyor, and driving connections between the shafts and crackingrollers. y

`In testimony whereof 'I have signed my name to this specification.

DAVID R. BAILEY.

